Slasher (2004)

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Not many people know it, but in the 2000s Animal House and Blues Brothers director John Landis turned his attention to documentaries and made two pretty hilarious movies. The one that got the most attention was his hysterical loveletter to Don Rickles, but the man’s best documentary is the sadly underrated Slasher.

Landis initially planned to make a documentary comparing politicians to used car dealers but ended up finding a character so fascinating in Michael Bennett that he dedicated the rest the movie to him. Bennett is a special breed of used-car salesman known as a “Slasher.” When used-car dealerships become overstocked, they’ll call up Bennett to organize a weekend-long slasher sale promising customers endless deals on cars as low as $88.

Of course, it’s all mostly grandstanding. The $88 cars are priced that low for a reason, and Bennett’s real job is to create enough excitement and hype to convince people on the lot to buy cars they never intended to. It’s a fascinating subject, with the hyperactive Bennett feeling like one of Landis’ classic comedy creations come to life, cracking his first beer long before noon and smoking multiple cigarettes at once when times get rough.

Slasher is secretly one of Landis’ funniest films, a documentary that simply must be seen by anyone with even a slight chance of being duped by a slick salesman (aka everyone).